Christine Brewer's Wagnerian soprano voice is a wonder of power and beauty that has won her lavish praise and starring roles in the world's top opera houses. She's the go-to soprano in the big, bruising operas of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss, her voice riding over their billowing orchestras like Queen Mary on the high seas.

But Brewer, 55, took an unlikely path to stardom. Born in small-town Illinois, she started out as a junior high school music teacher. Think "Glee" in middle school. Instead of learning small operatic roles and gaining early stage experience, as is more common, she taught antsy kids to sing. She never planned an opera career. But a nudge from her husband, also a teacher, prompted her to quit teaching and try singing. Soon after, her high-performance voice won her the coveted Metropolitan Opera auditions, a manager and work.

Brewer's friends call her gregarious and down-to-earth. No diva, her. Before arriving in Portland, she answered questions by email about her early struggles as a singer, her connection to today's students and the difficult decision to pull out of the Met's "Ring." Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Your career has taken you to the top of your profession since you last sang in Portland. Do you remember the Christine Brewer who sang back then?

In 1996, I had been singing professionally with management for about six years. My career was just getting started, and I had made premieres at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, New York City Opera and the Royal Opera at Covent Garden in London. I was the mother of a 12-year-old daughter, trying desperately to juggle the travel with my time at home, letting go of controls as my husband began to take over more of the parenting responsibilities. I was singing lots of Mozart back then and beginning to sing some Strauss. I was starting to look at some of the bigger Strauss roles and was beginning to also look at some of the Wagnerian roles more seriously like Isolde.

Do you remember what you hoped for, struggled with?

I always struggled with balancing my career with my home life, but this is nothing new with individuals who have careers that require travel. When I was on the road, I missed being home and wondered if I was being an effective mother. And when I was home, I would get antsy about getting back to work! I always hoped that I was being a good example for my daughter, showing her that women can have meaningful careers and also fulfilling family lives.

Today, what do you hope for, or struggle with?

My goal these days is to make music with folks who share my joy of honest music making. I'm not very patient with those who are not committed to the challenges and delights that this kind of work can bring. My daughter is now 27 years old, finishing up nursing school and one of the most well-adjusted, independent young women I know. She told me recently that even though there were times when she was a child that she wished that I were home more, she grew up respecting and admiring what I did. And these lessons made her determined to pursue challenging things in her life.

You have a memorable quote about teaching: "When something seems hard, I just remind myself that nothing is as hard as teaching junior-high school choir." Did your background give you any advantages in advancing your career?

I do a program with the sixth graders at the school where I first taught (Marissa, Illinois) The kids named the program "Opera-tunities" and it has stuck. I visit with the class a few times each school year and they always make a field trip to Powell Hall in St. Louis to hear a dress rehearsal with the St. Louis Symphony when I sing with the orchestra. I write to them when I am on the road and they keep a world map in their classroom and mark the places I visit during the school year. I love their e-mails and their questions! And what I've discovered through this program is that the kids really GET it! Often we think that 12-year-olds won't understand Britten's War Requiem or Wagner's "Ring." I've found that when I talk to the kids about these pieces and then they hear bits of them in rehearsals, they actually understand things on levels that I never imagined. They sometimes challenge me with their questions and comments and I love that. I think that the experiences I had in teaching and the things that I learn from my Opera-tunities buddies help keep me grounded in what is important in making music -- communication -- honest communication. Kids can see through the performances that aren't real, that aren't honest. I try to tell stories with whatever music I am singing in a way that a child could understand, clearly and honestly. So I do think the work with kids has been beneficial to my singing career.

Tell us about your Portland program. In particular, what is the John Carter Cantata like?

I like starting my program with Alceste's aria (from C.W. Gluck's opera "Alceste"). It is one that Birgit Nilsson and Helen Traubel often began their recitals with. It is a firecracker kind of aria and it just warms me up and I think it warms up the audience, too! The Carter Cantata appeals to me because it highlights the spirituals that I grew up singing with my mom and brothers. I grew up singing gospel music and this is such a part of my early years that I think I sing these songs with a deep understanding. I'm ending the program with what I call "Echoes of Nightingales." These were songs that were often heard in the recitals of Kirsten Flagstad, Helen Traubel, Eileen Farrell and Eleanor Steber. I recorded several of these songs with Roger Vignoles last winter and the recording was just released on Hyperion. They are all little gems, many are out of print now, all in English, most by American composers.

In 2009, you had to cancel your eagerly awaited performances of Brunnhilde in the Met's new "Ring" cycle. Any plans to perform the role, either at the Met or another house?

The 2009 cancellation of Brunnhilde was one of the most devastating events in my musical career. I had worked for four years preparing the role. I had sung the third act of "Die Walkure" in concert many times, and had sung the entire "Götterdämmerung" in London a year prior. I was devastated by that experience, but I came home and decided to use the time to not only get my knee back in shape but to also get healthy. I started working with a trainer and lost a significant amount of weight and am healthier now than I had been in years. So I turned the sad experience into something positive. And for the time being, I have no plans to do another "Ring," but we shall see! I sang "Siegfried" last summer in concert with the Chicago Symphony and James Conlon at Ravinia. So who knows what might be in the future!